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Elephant Garlic Festival returns to North Plains

Utilizing the theme 'Fun Stinks,' North Plains is once again hosting the Elephant Garlic Festival

For the 14th year in a row, elephants are on parade in North Plains. But not the sinister pink pachyderms that haunted Dumbo's dreams, or the mighty beasts that helped Hannibal traverse mountainsides.

They do, however, make a heck of an alfredo sauce or, to the more adventurous among us, a tasty if unlikely treat in a waffle cone.

Utilizing the theme 'Fun Stinks,' North Plains is once again hosting the Elephant Garlic Festival, a celebration of the pungent culinary mainstay that has become the city's banner event, drawing foodies from throughout the region and beyond to the area for a weekend of events celebrating all things garlic.

The free event, held Friday through Sunday in downtown North Plains, is sponsored by the North Plains Chamber of Commerce, Tuality Healthcare, West Coast Bank, and other groups.

The festivities include, naturally, a bevy of garlic-related foods ranging from standard kitchen fare from local vendors to more outrageous concoctions such as garlic ice cream and beer.

In addition, the event includes daylong musical performances, art sales and demonstrations, a 10k run, the crowning of the Elephant Garlic Festival Queen and King, a classic car show, cook offs, kids' activities, a parade through the downtown area and more.

The North Plains Elephant Garlic Festival takes place August 12-14 in downtown North Plains. Festival hours are noon to 11 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. To learn more, visit funstinks.com.